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Summer sun brings summer fun. While warm months are perfect for spending time together, summer vacation can also throw off your usual dental routine. Here are three ways to prevent summertime tooth decay:
Stay on a routine

Whether your kids are staying up to catch fireflies or a fireworks show, resist the temptation to skip brushing before a late bedtime—or let it slide when they sleep in the next morning. “Don’t forget about your smile over the summer,”. “It’s important for families to consistently brush and floss, which keeps kids on track for healthy back-to-school dental visits.”

No matter how eventful the upcoming months become, supervise that they are brushing twice a day for 2 minutes with fluoride toothpaste. Simple things like brushing calendars can help everyone stay on track over the summer. Plus, it’s a chance to spend more time together. Brushing alongside your children for 2 minutes, twice a day for the three months of summer gives you 6 extra hours together, so make the most of them!

And don’t forget to clean between those teeth once a day. “Your children should be flossing between any two teeth that touch,”. “However, many kids don’t have motor skills to floss until they are over 10 years old.” If your child needs help, try different types of interdental cleaners or put your hands over theirs to guide them and get the job done at the same time.

Say no to sugary drinks and snacks

As the temperature rises, it’s common for families to sip and snack during sports tournaments, festivals or nearly any community event. “Watch your family’s intake of lemonade, juice and soda,”. “Consider sugary drinks treats to enjoy once in a while, and not often.” Instead, offer water (even better if it has fluoride) to beat the heat, or milk to drink with meals. And, don’t let summertime grazing damage your child’s smile. “Taking a break from snacking is healthy for your teeth,” says Dr. Hayes. “It allows time for saliva to bathe the teeth, wash away leftover food and get stronger.”

If you find yourself spending more time at home, snack smarter, and let your children tell you when they’re hungry instead of offering snacks throughout the day. “They’re not afraid to let you know when they want something to eat!” she says.

When most people think about cosmetic dentistry, they picture a Hollywood smile with brilliant white teeth. While teeth whitening is certainly a popular and effective cosmetic treatment, there’s a lot more to cosmetic dentistry than that. For example, did you know that improving the appearance of your smile often improves its function at the same time? Cosmetic dentistry can even improve your mood and confidence!

Let’s talk about those and many other fascinating but lesser-known facts about cosmetic dentistry.

1. Caring about your smile is human nature

It’s normal to care about the way your smile looks. In fact, people have been invested in the appearance of their teeth since ancient times. Etruscans in northern Italy were making dentures as early as 700 BC!

Although many people aren’t happy with the look of their smile, a survey by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry found that 82% of respondents said it’s the dentist who initiates a dialogue about cosmetic dentistry. (Only 26% said that patients start the conversation.) Patients often don’t ask about cosmetic options because they:

• Feel nervous or uncomfortable to bring it up
• Don’t realize it’s an option
• Believe it will be too expensive

At DDS, all questions about cosmetic dentistry (and other types of dentistry) are welcome. We focus on eliminating barriers to high-quality cosmetic dentistry by creating a compassionate, judgement-free environment and offering affordable payment plans.

2. Cosmetic dentistry can improve the health and function of your teeth

Functional dental issues can become cosmetic concerns if they’re left untreated. For example, tooth decay that isn’t addressed can eventually lead to lost teeth. If you have a cavity, tooth-colored fillings can prevent further complications, like tooth loss. Living with missing teeth long term, can lead to other health issues, such as:

• TMJ pain
• Facial bone loss (which causes the face to look sunken)
• Gum disease
• Difficulty chewing

If you already have missing teeth, treatments like implants, crowns, bridges, and dental bonding will improve your smile’s appearance and restore function at the same time.

3. Porcelain veneers don’t stain like normal teeth do

Stained teeth aren’t necessarily unhealthy teeth, but you may not like the look of them. The truth is that if you drink several cups of coffee or tea throughout the day, it can be hard to keep your natural teeth white, even with good dental hygiene practices.

A professional whitening can work wonders for mild-to-moderate stains, but if you have more advanced staining or your teeth are worn down, porcelain dental veneers may be a better and more permanent solution. Not only do they brighten your smile, they also beautifully hide cracks, chips, and gaps. Although porcelain veneers look just like real teeth, they’re actually much more resistant to staining than regular teeth, which makes them a long-lasting solution to persistent tooth stains.

4. You can practice preventive cosmetic dentistry in daily life

Although many cosmetic dental issues require professional intervention to fix, there’s a lot you can do on your own to help keep your teeth healthy and beautiful.

• Avoid soda and sugary drinks — they’re one of the main causes of tooth stains, discoloration, and decay
• Drink plenty of water to flush away food remnants and bacteria
• Rinse with water after consuming sugary foods and drinks, as well as tooth-staining beverages like coffee, tea, and wine
• Floss daily and brush morning and night to keep your teeth clean, healthy, and white

5. Some people wear down their teeth at night without knowing it

Bruxism is a condition that involves grinding, clenching, or gnashing your teeth. It’s possible to do this while awake or asleep, but people with sleep bruxism are less likely to be aware that it’s happening. The underlying causes of bruxism are complex, but stress and improper tooth alignment are common contributing factors.

If bruxism is severe enough, it can have serious consequences for the health and look of your teeth. In the worst cases, it eventually wears down the enamel on your teeth, which changes their shape and appearance, making them look short and flat.

If you’re experiencing headaches, facial pain, worn or chipped teeth, tight/painful jaw muscles, or you find yourself constantly waking up during the night, it’s worth talking to your dentist. A dentist can identify signs of tooth grinding, so you can address the problem and prevent both the cosmetic and functional consequences of bruxism.

The simplest and most common solution is to wear a night guard while you sleep, but other treatments can also be helpful, especially if they address the root cause of the grinding. Depending on your situation, your dentist might recommend treatments like:

• Practicing proper jaw and tongue positioning
• Orthodontic treatment to align crooked teeth
• Stress management

6. Cosmetic dentistry isn’t “one size fits all”

Many people worry that they’ll lose everything unique and personal about their smile if they get cosmetic treatments. Luckily that isn’t the case!

Do you love the unique shape of your teeth? Like the look of your prominent canines? Don’t want to lose the gap between your front teeth? It’s generally easy to preserve certain elements of your smile but change others.

At DDS, our goal is to help you achieve a smile that you love, and our treatment plans are customized to your needs. We’ll talk to you about how you want your teeth to look, and if there are any specific features you want to preserve or change. It’s all up to you!

Healthcare professionals: use Protect Tiny Teeth, a free set of resources, to talk to pregnant women and new moms about the importance of oral health.

One way to prevent cavities in young children is to improve pregnant women’s oral health. Pregnancy may make women more prone to periodontal (gum) disease and cavities. Oral health may be considered an important part of prenatal care, given that poor oral health during pregnancy can lead to poor health outcomes for the mother and baby. Protect Tiny Teethexternal icon includes a mix of attention-grabbing materials to spark awareness that oral health should be part of prenatal care, and tips on how pregnant women and new moms can protect their oral health and the oral health of their infants.

Pregnancy and Periodontal Disease

Nearly 60 to 75% of pregnant women have gingivitis, an early stage of periodontal disease that occurs when the gums become red and swollen from inflammation that may be aggravated by changing hormones during pregnancy.1 If gingivitis is not treated, the bone that supports the teeth can be lost, and the gums can become infected. Teeth with little bone support can become loose and may eventually have to be extracted. Periodontitis has also been associated with poor pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth and low birth weight.2 However, how periodontitis may lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes is not yet fully understood.

Pregnancy and Dental Cavities

Pregnant women may also be at risk for cavities due to changes in behaviors, such as eating habits.3 Women who have a lot of cavity-causing bacteria during pregnancy and after delivery could transmit these bacteria from their mouth to the mouth of their baby.4 Early contact with these bacteria and to other sugars, such as from frequent snacking or taking a bottle to bed, can lead to early childhood cavities and the need for extensive dental care at a young age.

• 1 in 4 women of childbearing age have untreated cavities.
• Children of mothers who have high levels of untreated cavities or tooth loss are more than 3 times more likely to have cavities as a child.
• Children with poor oral health status are nearly 3 times more likely to miss school because of dental pain.

 
www.cdc.gov credits

Are you self-conscious about your smile? Do you avoid showing your teeth in photos or at job interviews? If you’d like to cover-up embarrassing dental problems like chipped, discolored, unevenly spaced, or misshapen teeth, dental veneers might be a good choice for you. There are a number of potential benefits to getting dental veneers which is why this is one of the most popular procedures performed in cosmetic dentistry. At DDS, we can help you determine whether or not veneers are the right solution for you.

Benefit #1: Veneers cosmetically repair teeth simply and easily.

Dental veneers are thin pieces of medical-grade porcelain that are cemented to the front of teeth to make a smile more pleasing to the eye. They’re custom-made for each individual patient to create the most attractive look possible. Veneers are tooth-colored and reflect light in much the same way as natural teeth. And they don’t stain easily so for people who are seeking the appearance of perfection, they’re an excellent choice. If you’re looking to fix major cosmetic problems with your teeth, porcelain veneers provide an easy way to do that.

Benefit #2: Dental veneers offer a natural appearance

The process for getting this type of dental restoration done may take more than one appointment, but the end result looks incredibly natural! During the first appointment, the dentist takes impressions of your teeth to send to a lab where the veneers will be manufactured. The lab creates veneers that will match the color of the tooth enamel and the contour of your natural teeth.

When the veneers come back from the lab and it’s time to place them in the mouth, the dentist sculpts each overlay precisely so that they create a natural-looking smile. The design is customized to fit with your facial symmetry and overall style. After being placed in your mouth, the veneers will look and feel natural to you and to others as a result.

Benefit #3: Getting porcelain veneers is a minimally invasive procedure.

Getting dental veneers is a less invasive process than other dental restoration options that we offer at DDS. To put them in place, for example, the dentist will first remove ½ millimeter off the front surface of the treated teeth, which is a lot less than what would be removed if you were getting a crown. After the surface of the tooth has been shaved down, each veneer overlay is put into place using a special cement. The dentist may have to make small adjustments to the size or color of the veneers as they’re placed on the teeth in order to create the most natural look and feel possible.

Patients require little or no anesthesia for this procedure and after the veneers are glued into place, the results are immediately visible!

Benefit #4: Veneers are a quick cosmetic fix.

Veneers can be life-changing for people who are unhappy with the appearance of their teeth. Any of the following cosmetic issues can easily be addressed using porcelain veneers:

• Chipped teeth
• Missing teeth
• Gaps between the teeth
• Misshapen teeth
• Stained or discolored teeth

Braces or other orthodontic treatments are a common way to treat gaps between the teeth, but some people opt to get veneers instead of enduring the pain and inconvenience of braces. Rather than moving the teeth, veneers merely camouflage the cosmetic issues so that the only people who know about your dental problems are you and your dentist. At DDS we can consult with you to determine whether your cosmetic dental problems could be fixed using veneers.

Benefit #5: Veneers are permanent and durable.

Did you know that porcelain veneers are permanent and they actually resist decay and staining better than real teeth? Because the veneers are non-porous, they resist stains and cavities better than your natural tooth enamel (which is porous). With proper maintenance, a dental veneer will last between 10 and 15 years.

Benefit #6: Maintaining dental veneers is easy.

You don’t have to do anything special to care for dental veneers. Maintenance is the same as caring for your normal teeth. You should brush twice a day and floss at least one time daily. And schedule regular checkups with us at DDS to maintain the natural white shine to your teeth.

Benefit #7: Porcelain Veneers are a permanent tooth whitening option.

Some of our patients return to us regularly to get their teeth whitened. But other patients opt instead to get veneers. Unlike natural teeth, veneers resist staining from habits like drinking coffee or smoking cigarettes. These dental prosthetics are extremely resilient and in comparison with natural teeth, they’re mostly stain-resistant so it won’t be necessary to get them whitened on a regular basis as you would your natural teeth. As such, they’re a good choice for patients who would prefer to whiten their teeth in a more permanent way as opposed to whitening the teeth once each year.

In certain cases, it may make sense to combine dental veneer placement with tooth whitening or the placement of dental crowns. Often, these procedures can be combined together to create stunning results. In some cases, when natural teeth are very stained and they resist whitening, veneers may be necessary to correct the issue.

Benefit #8: Veneers are a viable treatment for enamel loss.

The enamel on your teeth is very strong, but it can still get worn away by highly acidic foods,over-ambitious tooth-brushing, or acid reflux disease (where stomach acids may end up in the mouth). If tooth enamel gets worn away, it doesn’t ever come back. Veneers offer a durable, but also aesthetically pleasing way to replace enamel.

Benefit #9: Dental veneers are a worthwhile investment.

The patients we work with at DDS typically view their veneers as a dental investment. Porcelain veneers are used to accomplish a variety of important goals from orthodontic camouflage to teeth whitening and enamel replacement. Patients who choose this dental treatment enjoy all of these benefits in addition to the cosmetic enhancements they offer. Even though veneers are more costly than some of the other cosmetic dental treatments available today, patients feel the investment is worthwhile. After treatment, most patients experience a boost in their self-confidence which is priceless. Veneers are long-lasting and a beautiful way to create a smile that our patients feel proud to share.